Page:The American Boy's Handy Book edition 1.djvu/58

the bait in a manner that appears to be irresistible to bass or pickerel, and sometimes even the mud-loving cat-fish will rise and swallow the hook. A whole fleet of these little vessels may be attended by one boy if he has a boat in which to row immediately to the assistance of any of his toy boats, whose suspicious movements betray the presence of a fish in tow.

consists of a board two feet long, three inches wide, and one-half-inch thick, made to float on edge in the water by weighting the lower part of the plank with lead, iron, or even stones, tied on with strings. By means of a breast-band rigged like that on a kite, a strong tow-line is fastened to the "otter." At intervals along the tow-line, shorter lines are attached baited with artificial flies, spoon hooks, dead or live bait, as the case may be, the bait of course depending altogether upon the fish you are after. As you walk or row, the "otter" sheers off and the baits comb the water in a tantalizing way that is fatal to trout, bass, or pickerel. So "killing" is this instrument that it should only be used to replenish the larder when provisions are running short in camp.

Mussels, or fresh-water clams, are prized by many boys on account of the pearly opalescent substance of which the shell is composed, it being an excellent material of which to make finger-rings and charms. Not unfrequently pearls of great beauty are found concealed within the shells of these bivalves.

The empty shells found upon the beach are never very highly prized, and are called by collectors dead shells. Shells of any kind which contain the living animal when collected, are ever after called live shells, for they still retain all their freshness and lustre after the inmate has been removed. To